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By
Mary
Bellis
"I don't think it's that significant."
- Tandy president John Roach on IBM's entry into the microcomputer field
On August 12, 1981, IBM introduced
its new revolution in a box, the "Personal Computer"
complete with a brand new operating system from Microsoft and a 16-bit
computer operating system called MS-DOS 1.0.
Operating System
: /n./ [techspeak] (Often abbreviated `OS') The foundation software of
a machine, of course; that which schedules tasks, allocates storage, and
presents a default interface to the user between applications. The facilities
an operating system provides and its general design philosophy exert an
extremely strong influence on programming style and on the technical cultures
that grow up around its host machines. - The Jargon Dictionary*
In 1980, IBM first approached Bill
Gates and Microsoft, to discuss the state of home computers and Microsoft
products. Gates gave IBM a few ideas on what would make a great home computer,
among them to have Basic written into the ROM chip. Microsoft had already
produced several versions of Basic for different computer system beginning
with the Altair,
so Gates was more than happy to write a version for IBM.
As for an operating system (OS) for
the new computers, since Microsoft had never written an operating system
before, Gates had suggested that IBM investigate an OS called CP/M (Control
Program for Microcomputers), written by Gary Kildall of Digital Research.
Kindall had his Ph.D. in computers and had written the most successful
operating system of the time, selling over 600,000 copies of CP/M, his
OS set the standard at that time.
IBM tried to contact Kildall for
a meeting, executives met with Mrs. Kildall who refused to sign a non-disclosure
agreement. IBM soon returned to Bill Gates and gave Microsoft the contract
to write the new operating system, one that would eventually wipe Kildall's
CP/M out of common use.
The "Microsoft Disk Operating System"
or MS-DOS was based on QDOS, the "Quick and Dirty Operating System" written
by Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products, for their prototype Intel
8086 based computer.
QDOS was based on Gary Kildall's
CP/M, Paterson had bought a CP/M manual and used it as the basis to write
his operating system in six weeks, QDOS was different enough from CP/M
to be considered legal.
Microsoft bought the rights to QDOS
for $50,000, keeping the IBM deal a secret from Seattle Computer Products.
Gates then talked IBM into letting
Microsoft retain the rights, to market MS DOS separate from the IBM
PC project, Gates proceeded to make a fortune from the licensing of
MS-DOS.
In 1981, Tim Paterson quit Seattle
Computer Products and found employment at Microsoft.
"Life begins with a disk drive."
- Tim Paterson
*The
Jargon Dictionary
Version 4.0.0, 24 July 1996, Computer
terms.
Next
Chapter > The
Apple Lisa and the Birth of the Graphical Interface or Consumer GUI
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©MaryBellis
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